A more concrete definition of panic attack will help you understand more of its nature. Basically, you know it has swept over you when you feel an excessive fear and worry over something that should not even elicit such reaction. There are people who rarely go through this but there are unfortunate ones who suffer frequently.

Attacks persist when the person repeatedly experiences situations that cause alarm and apprehension. Panic attacks are generally thought of as minor, but in fact they have a major bearing on the psychological, emotional and physical welfare of a person.

Who are prone to panic attacks? Truth is, panic disorder has affected about 10% of all people, and that’s a significant number, considering that there are more cases not reported. Statistics show that young people and females are twice at risk to panic attacks, compared to adult males. This can also be traced as a hereditary disorder.

How will I know whether I am having a panic attack? There are certain symptoms and signals to watch out for. The heart will beat at a faster or uneven rate, pain in the chest area, different muscles getting tensed, profuse sweating, upset or turbulent stomach, shivering, dizzy spells, breathlessness, body feeling suddenly cold or hot, feeling of indifference and detachment and making an effort to get a grip on reality.

These symptoms match the signs of a pre-heart attack, hence should not be taken lightly. It is best to attend to this by seeking medical attention, especially if the person has experienced this for the first time.

The root cause of a panic attack, in most cases, is not clear. Some instances may reveal that it is connected to traumatic past experiences. Examples are, death of a loved one, big argument within the family, sour relationship, divorce of parents and public humiliation. Is something similar happens, it may trigger a panic attack.

The passing of someone you love, bitter dispute in the family, a relationship gone bad, parents who have divorced, humiliation in public, all these can have a role to play in the causes of panic attacks. A recurrence of similar events and situations can act as a trigger for the attack. Panic attacks and stress go hand in hand, and a person who is stressed at work and home is more prone to panic disorder. Genes also play a role in bringing on panic attacks.

What would be the best course of action, when in the grip of an attack? The height of a panic attack lasts approximately 10 minutes, and in very rare cases goes beyond thirty minutes. During the attack you will display the symptoms mentioned above, and if you observe all of them are connected to the rate of your heart beat.

So if you manage to control your breathing during an attack you can get your heart rate down and the other symptoms also will diminish. It is advised to take deep slow breaths, keeping a count. You can breathe in, counting slowly to three, and then hold the breath for the same time and then exhale slowly keeping to the same count.

Continue to do this until you are calm, then you can slowly move around. You can try breathing and exhaling into a bag, to increase the flow of carbon dioxide in the blood. This can help regulate the level of acid in the blood, which was messed up when you experienced fast breathing.

As you do the breathing, keep your mind on some happy thoughts so you won’t think about events that embed fear. Otherwise, you can play some mind games like a puzzle to keep your mind busy.

Now, find the best way on how to get rid of panic attacks for good. There are many resources out there, but you should look into natural ways before taking prescription medications. Panic attacks prevention should be your only priority, nobody should live their life with this illness.

Related Blogs

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Filed under: Anxiety

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!